Zhao Xintong wins Crucible title to become Asia's first World Snooker Champion

The 28-year-old from China becomes the first Asian winner of professional snooker’s blue riband event.

Having been invited to the tournament because of his results on this season’s secondary circuit, Zhao is the first amateur to win the title, and only the third qualifier to lift the trophy at the Crucible - following in the footsteps of Terry Griffiths (1979) and Shaun Murphy (2005).

Just like in his other matches on snooker’s grandest stage over the past few weeks, Zhao got off to a brilliant start against three-time champion Williams on the opening day of the final on Sunday.

In the first all-left handed Crucible title decider, Zhao settled in nicely as he built a 3-0 lead after making a 100 break in frame two and pinched a dramatic frame three on the final black, after both cueists had missed it.

The oldest Crucible finalist of all time at 50-years-old, Williams got on the board just before the first mid-session interval, but on resumption, former world number six Zhao strung together four consecutive frames - highlighted by a run of 104 in the seventh - to finish the opening afternoon session in firm control at 7-1 up.

Returning a few hours later, Williams managed to rediscover some of the form that got him through to the fifth world final of his long, illustrious career as he twice won back-to-back frames, although Zhao responded and pushed his opponent back by following suit.

However, Williams finished day one on a positive note, crucially securing frame 17 - from behind - on the colours to win the evening session 5-4, although he still trailed 11-6 overnight.

The signs were looking good for Zhao as all players who started the concluding day of the final on 11 frames went on to claim the title. And he soon become more comfortable as he took three of the first four frames of the afternoon session to hold his biggest lead of the encounter at 14-7 up.

After the mid-session interval, the gap extended to eight at 15-7, and there was a real possibility that the contest could end with a session to spare; the last time that happened was in 1993.

A struggling Williams - perhaps his efforts from earlier in the tournament were catching up with him - made sure there would be a fourth session, though, as he chalked up frame 23, but Zhao continued his march to the trophy, ending the afternoon one frame away from glory at 17-8 up.

The players returned in the evening, but Zhao was made to wait for his coronation, as a resilient Williams produced his best spell of the final, by far, crafting breaks of 101, 96 and 73 to win four successive frames and take the tie to its last mid-session interval.

There was now a small hope for Williams conjuring up the greatest comeback of all time, but when he missed a red within the balls in frame 30, Zhao coolly constructed a tournament-winning contribution of 87.

The third ranking title of his career - and his second Triple Crown major after success at the 2021 UK Championship - Zhao pockets the £500,000 first prize and shoots up to number 11 in the world rankings.

Despite not having a professional tour card until next season, in an unprecedented situation, Zhao is eligible for his world ranking now as he earned enough prize money ranking points to break into the top 64.

From being banned to becoming world champion inside several months

Zhao's journey throughout this Championship has been a remarkable one.

An exciting prospect from a young age, Zhao first turned professional in 2016 having reached the second of his two World Amateur Snooker Championship finals.

As is the case for many new professionals, life on the sport's top tier was initially very tough, and Zhao was relegated from the tour, although he immediately bounced back through graduation from the Q School.

Zhao's big breakthrough came at the 2021 UK Championship in York when he went all the way to final where he defeated Luca Brecel to win the sport's second most prestigious ranking title.

A second ranking event trophy arrived a few months later at the German Masters, and Zhao zoomed up to number six in the world rankings.

However, during the 2022/23 season, Zhao was suspended and later banned - alongside nine other Chinese professional players - for his part in the match-fixing scandal that rocked the sport, although he was found not to have actually fixed matches himself.

Having admitted early and issuing a guilty plea, Zhao's ban of two years and six months was reduced to one year and eight months. That suspension from the sport's governing body - the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) - expired last September, meaning Zhao was able to play on the international amateur circuit.

Zhao entered the Q Tour - open to any amateur player across the world - in a bid to win back his professional tour card. He was sensational on the secondary circuit, winning four successive events, making two maximum 147 breaks, and finishing top of the rankings with an event still to go.

That achievement re-earned him his professional stripes, and it also won him an invite to this season's UK Championship and World Championship events on the World Snooker Tour, as one of several top performing amateur players from across the past 12 months.

At the UK Championship, Zhao navigated the four-round qualifying gauntlet to reach the main draw, where he was ousted by Shaun Murphy, 6-5, in round one proper in his first television appearance in around two years.

A similar scenario faced Zhao in the World Championship qualifiers in April, but again, he negotiated the four preliminary matches to make the main draw for the Crucible for the third time in his career.

On the main stage a few days later, Zhao defeated last year's runner-up Jak Jones 10-4 in round one, before eliminating compatriot Lei Peifan - the conqueror of reigning champion Kyren Wilson on day one - 13-10 in the last 16.

The first amateur player to appear in the quarter-finals at the Crucible, Zhao dismissed fellow qualifier Chris Wakelin 13-5 in the last eight, before brushing aside seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 17-7 with a session to spare in the semi-finals.

During that last four tie, Zhao won the second session 8-0, inflicting O'Sullivan's fourth Crucible session whitewash.

‘Class of 92’ members would be seen off in consecutive rounds as he defeated Williams in the final.

In total, Zhao has had to win 111 frames to win this Championship. He also won nine matches - no-one in the history of the tournament has had to win so many before getting their hands on the trophy. Zhao played his first shot in this year’s competition on April 7th in the opening qualifying round at the English Institute of Sport.

This is an historic day for professional snooker as Zhao is crowned the first world champion from China, and Asia.

Please visit our 2025 World Snooker Championship tournament information centre here for details on the draw, results, format and order of play.